Foot Reflexology Massage

Although a foot reflexology treatment given by a professional is the ultimate, you can learn to give an effective treatment to yourself and your family...

If you are willing and able to devote a bit of time and energy to yourself, by stimulating certain reflex points on the feet during a foot reflexology massage, you can relieve stress headaches, migraines, muscle tension and sinus problems.

The entire body is reflected on the feet as well as on the hands.

So, by holding your feet, big toes together - or your hands, thumbs together, the toes or thumbs would be the head area and from the top of the thumb to the first knuckle or the top of the toe to the ankle would be the spine, with the rest of the body appropriately situated. The tips of the fingers and toes being the sinuses, the heel of the foot is the pelvis and sciatic nerve and the hip/knee/elbow/shoulder area is from the small toe to the heel on the outside of the foot, the rest of the body is in-between these areas. You will see how it works as we go through the different positions in a foot reflexology massage...

The Feet are mapped as follows:-

the tips of the toes - head and neck area i.e. ears, eyes, nose and mouth

the ball of the foot – thoracic area i.e. the lung, heart and thyroid

the arch of the foot - abdominal area i.e. the liver, stomach, pancreas and kidney

the heel – pelvic area i.e. sciatic nerves, lower back and intestines

the ankle – reproductive area

the inner foot – the spine

the outer foot – the outer body i.e. arms, knee and hip

How To Do Foot Reflexology Massage

Sitting comfortably is of utmost importance as you will need to be as relaxed as possible. Sit with one foot raised on the opposite knee, you may try sitting cross-legged on the floor or on the bed with some cushions propped up behind you, or just in your comfy chair in front of the television.

Massage using the thumb rotate technique - that is, press in, rotate, lift and move, covering small areas at a time and work your way through the following procedure :-

Firstly rotate and stretch the Achilles tendon and rotate the ankle a few times to loosen to relax the foot, then pull and twiggle the toes one by one.

Curl your index finger around your big toe to give it support and massage the pad with your thumb, from side to side, and then from top to bottom. Now do the other four toes thoroughly.

The big toe represents brain matter, the pituitary and pineal glands and the hypothalamus.Eye reflexes are on the cushions of the second and third toes and the ear is represented by the third and fourth toes cushions.

Now work the sinus area at the tips of all the toes, this will greatly assist you if you have problems with your sinuses.

Slide your index finger between your toes and with thumb and index finger, massage the webs between your toes. These are the lymphatic reflexes.

The throat reflex is between the big toe and the second toe and may be quite sensitive to smokers, but it can only do you good. If you are starting to feel sensitive areas then you are doing a good foot reflexology massage so far.

Now swop feet and do the same to the other foot. Let’s move on to the lungs...

Cup your left hand around the top of your foot, twisting it slightly and with your right thumb, massage the area from the base of the toes to the end of the ball of your foot. Massage from left to right and from top to bottom as well. This will help with most lung related problems and chest pain stress.

The diaphragm separates the lungs from the abdominal area and on the foot, it separates the ball of the foot from the arch. This area is vitally important in hiatus hernia cases and helps relieve respiratory problems. Massage right across the foot, concentrating on the center spot which will be the solar plexus, which is an important reflex for stress relief and tension. Don’t forget to do a little bit on one foot and then the other foot.

Now, the area in the arch of the foot, between the ball and the base, is the abdominal area.

Note that the spleen is only on the left foot, in the top right corner of the arch.

And the liver and gall bladder only on the right foot. The liver being below the lung area almost in a triangle shape with the larger part on the outside of the foot, tapering towards the middle where you will find the gall bladder.

Cup your left foot again and work the spleen. Then massage the arch area across from right to left and from top to bottom, covering all the abdominal reflex points. See the chart for specific points.

On the right foot now - use the thumb in a caterpillar like motion and work the right part of the foot from the bottom right, up to the ball, across to the instep and back down to where you started. This is the liver reflex area and is important when the body is overly toxic.

The gall bladder is situated in the middle of the liver and massaging it will help with gallstones and digestion of fat difficulties.The sciatic nerve runs across the foot between the arch and the ball of the foot and you can use the caterpillar movement here to help relieve lower back pain. Work the entire heel area to assist with hip and pelvic problems.

Now work the bone that runs from under your ankle, along the inside of the foot up to the big toe. This bone relates to the spine. Caterpillar up and down this bone - below, on top and above it. Feel for any tender areas and gently work them, this will help relieve a lot of the tension in your back.

With your other four fingers, work the opposite, outside of your foot. This area relates to the hip/knee/elbow/shoulder area. The shoulder being just below the small toe; the knee and elbow are situated around the bone half way down the foot and the hip area is reflected below the ankle.

Holding the ankle in your hand, thumb one side and the other four fingers on the other side, massage the whole area below the ankle and work your way up the Achilles tendon - this is the route that the kidney meridian takes.

Finally, with your thumb under your foot, use the other four fingers and massage the top of your foot, from the toes to the ankle and all around the ankle as well.

Well done, now you deserve a break! So sit back and relax for a few minutes and drink a glass of water. In fact, drink quite a lot of water afterward a foot reflexology massage as this will help with the detoxification process. You might also want to rub some cream or an essential oil blend into your feet.

A few words of caution about a foot reflexology massage self-treatment - always try to do a full treatment instead of just touching on points... It will be much more beneficial! Be careful not to over-stimulate the reflex points, rather work an area, move on and then come back to it later. Do not give yourself more than two treatments in one week...

And, most important of all, have fun and enjoy yourself while doing it,and start living better everyday!